The invention relates to product identification and information tags for merchandise suspended from elongate horizontally oriented support hooks and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to such tags which may be readily attached to and removed from the support hooks without being subject to inadvertent removal, and which display product information forwardly of merchandise supported on a hook.
My prior applications noted above disclose, inter alia, elongate product information and identification tags made of plastic sheet which display the product information forwardly of items suspended from horizontal hooks, which may extend, for example, from an apertured support board or the like. The tags include a mounting portion for attachment to and removal from the hook at a location adjacent the board, an intermediate portion extending forwardly from the mounting portion over the length of the hook and the merchandise suspended therefrom, and a display portion integrally formed at the distal end of the intermediate portion and which is bent downwardly in front of the hook for the display of required product identification and/or information data. Further, the tags disclosed in application Ser. No. 06/519,226 have an aperture adjacent the distal end of the intermediate portion for an end portion of the hook to project upwardly through, thereby providing lateral stabilization of the tag. When a product is removed from the hook over the front end, the tag flexes upwardly to free the end of the hook and the tag drops back over the end of the hook after the product has been removed.
Product identification and/or information data is commonly provided on an adhesive label which is applied to the display portion of the tag. If any of the information data, for example the product price, is to be changed, it is necessary either to remove the label, which may be difficult or impossible, or to stick a new label over the old one. In certain jurisdictions, however, this is illegal, so that the entire tag then has to be removed and replaced resulting in wastage of tags. Also, even where not illegal, the procedure may be subject to abuse by removal of the topmost label. Another problem which may arise, is that labels, if improperly applied, or labels having poor adhesive, may tend to become separated from the tag.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an identification tag structure intended to mitigate the above problems.